Coronets and Steel (Dobrenica) Mass Market Paperback – September 6, 2011

I read Coronets and Steel based on a friend's recommendation and thoroughly enjoyed it. An homage to Prisoner of Zenda with a 21st century female protagonist, Coronets also taps into Pride and Prejudice. There is no unconscious imitation here; the author is very up-front about her influences. For a codger like me there is also a Mary Stewart vibe in the lush descriptions as well as a touch of Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters in the young American in ye olde worlde w/spooky woo-woo trope.California native Kim Murray is doing genealogical research in Europe in hopes of discovering the source of her fragile grandmother's silence. With no warning, she is scooped up and spirited away by Alec, a handsome young aristocrat who mistakes her for his missing fiance. Once Alec is convinced of Kim's identity, he asks her to impersonate his fiance, in order to lure her or her abductors out of hiding. Kim, who in addition to being multilingual, accomplished in both ballet and fencing, and slightly psychic, is extraordinarily well equipped for the adventures that ensue. The journey through Europe, the tiny exquisite nation of Dobrenica, more than a touch of the supernatural, and a pair of intriguing potential love interests make this a romantic entertainment in the old fashioned sense.Kim narrates her adventures as she experiences them--with zest and verve. Her voice is clear and distinctive, and her courage, wit, and independence are immensely engaging. Her ability to recover quickly from both emotional and physical trials sometimes taxes one's credulity, but the fact that not all of her efforts end successfully rescues her from the pitfall of Mary Sue-ism. Romantic elements are emotionally intense but not graphic, and somehow the semi-bad guy is much more likeable than our hero. The only thing that distracted me from unadulterated enjoyment of this novel is the way that Kim's use of slang seemed like a tour of late 20th century idiom. Even if she did have old hippies for parents, the mix of bummers, dudes, and totally-s with more current slang came across as very awkward at times and improbable for a woman in her mid-twenties. The range of her knowledge also seemed a mite improbable for her age, but the many things I loved about this book more than outweighed the clunkers. I was completely willing to suspend disbelief because it was simply so much fun to do so..

I enjoyed this new Sherwood Smith story. I could empathize with Kim who was on a quest to find out about her family history. I liked her close relationship with her grandmother. She was certainly intrepid - heading off to Europe alone to try to track down her ancestry.I also liked Alec. He was a rather mysterious character who was certain that Kim was actually his runaway fiancée Aurelia. He was well-educated, handsome, and very concerned with his duty to the country that he would rule.What I thought was a bit confusing was the complicated political situation in Dobrenica, a small, mythical country in the Carpathians. There are apparently five important families who have traded off leadership of the country over the centuries which has been complicated by German and Russian occupations of the country. Currently, Alec's family is in charge. His fiancée's brother Tony is also fomenting revolt because he feels his family should be in charge.Kim learns that her grandmother is a runaway princess and she is thrust into the political situation. The fantasy elements include the fact that Kim sees ghosts including that of some of her ancestors. Another fantasy element is that there is a magic in the country that allows the country to disappear if certain conditions are meant. Alec wishes to invoke this magic but needs his errant fiancée to accomplish his goal. Complications ensue when he falls in love with Kim and has to choose between love and duty. This echoes the decision that Kim's grandmother made two generations earlier.I enjoyed the book. The action and romance were compelling. I recommend this book to lovers of romantic fantasy. I am eager to see the rest of the series to find out what happens next.

I've been a fan of Sherwood Smith's since stumbling across "Crown Duel" nearly ten years ago. She's put a lot of time and effort into honing her craft, and it shows. I've been very excited to see her publishing more books recently, both independently and through major publishing houses."Coronets and Steel," unlike her other books, is set solely here on Earth (with a slight twist, of course). It is probably best described as an urban fantasy, but it has distinct differences: the heroine isn't bristling with knives or magic skills (though she does still kick butt in the end), she doesn't have a tough-as-nails attitude, the supernatural elements aren't the focus of the story, the love interest isn't a vampire/shapechanger/mage/whatever, the main action doesn't occur in a big city, etc. Not surprisingly, it feels more like her other fantasy novels--it just happens to be set in an alternate modern Earth, like other urban fantasy novels. And since I love her other books, this one was right up my alley, too.In fact, I enjoyed the book so much, that the tiny inconsistencies I found really stood out. Now, most of these arise from being the exact same age as Kim, the heroine--a few times in the book, she acts in ways that don't--to my mind--fit her generation. First, some of her phrasing or exclamations seem more likely to pass my mother's lips than anyone my age whom I know. Of course, my mother was also southern CA born and bred, so it might just be a southern CA thing, not a generational inconsistency. Second, from what I could tell, Kim is about 24 or 25, while Alec--if I'm calculating right--is in his late mid to late 30s (though he seemed early 30s to me until the remark that he started getting interested in national issues in 1988). While such an age difference isn't an issue for me, I find it highly unlikely that it would go completely unremarked upon. Finally--and this is the one that really gets me--she ran off to a little-known country she's never been to before, when she'd already been kidnapped by people from it, WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE. I can understand her not wanting to call her parents and worry them with all they details of her kidnapping, but why wouldn't she stop by an Internet cafe and shoot off a quick email letting them know she's found a clue that leads her to Dobrenica and she's heading there for a few days? People in their 20s nowadays practically live on the Internet. Pulling a stunt like that just screams stupidity to me, which is rather inconsistent with her character as a whole.Yes, I realize these complaints are ridiculously minor, which just goes to show you how good the book is otherwise that they stood out so much. I can't wait to read the sequel.

others have summarized the plot...i want to add that i found the heroine unbelievable, shifting in maturity from about age 13 to age 30, going off drinking with chance-met handsome strangers, being drugged and abducted, and returning (!) for more...irresponsible, moody, temperamental and ridiculous...erudite, sophisticated and worldly one moment, and impulsive, self-destructive and stupid the next...i found her increasingly irritating, and started skipping, to see what nonsense she would start up next...nah, not for me..too silly...but a useful intro to book two which is good ..